


All the Baggage Weighs a Ton

by Kioee



Category: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Genre: High School, M/M, Pre-Canon, all weed use is directly inspired by my own experience, mac and dennis inspire me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-03
Updated: 2019-08-03
Packaged: 2020-07-29 20:49:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20088556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kioee/pseuds/Kioee
Summary: Sometimes everything about the world makes sense when you make friends with the school drug dealer.





	All the Baggage Weighs a Ton

It’s a perfect day in the spring of ’91 and the weather is finally warm enough to make skipping class worth it. Not only that, but some loser, Carl, in his class that he only lets hang around him because he does everything he says, has found a weed connection. Dennis Reynolds has never actually smoked pot before. He came close once but then Frank had to ruin it by taking it all himself. Which was really a shame because his sister could have used some to help with her fucked up back. Dennis didn’t care so much about that, but he’d heard that it helps with pain and shit and maybe Sweet Dee would stop bitching long enough to be tolerable.

  
The main thing though, is that it’s a perfect afternoon. The sun is high, he’s skipping math class, and they’re meeting some kid who he’d seen around but never really talked to. Everyone said he was kind of an asshole, but the old weed guy got busted by this one, so now this is their only option. He’s already waiting under the bleachers and Dennis has three immediate thoughts: he’s poor, he’s too vulnerable-looking to be as tough as he’s trying to look, and he’s very handsome. That last part could pose a problem if he tries to date any of the girls Dennis likes.

  
“Good thing you sell weed, because you’re certainly never going to get by on your looks,” Dennis says immediately. Establishing the power dynamic is essential and he can’t have this guy feeling too confident.

  
Carl gives Dennis a look and the weed guy just laughs. “Maybe I don’t sell to dickheads,” he counters.

“Dennis,” Carl says, softly and a little whiny like it’s Dennis’s fault if this guy turns down easy money.

  
With a scoff, Dennis lightly punches the guy on the shoulder. “I’m just giving you shit, dude. Cough it up.”

  
The other guy just cocks an eyebrow. “You got the cash?”

  
Dennis looked over at Carl, who fishes in his pockets for his wallet and hands this dealer eighty dollars. Dennis could easily pay, of course, but it was more fun when he had convinced Carl he was completely strapped and that he’d pay him back. Dennis wasn’t going to pay him back. Carl holds the cash out. “Here, Ronny.”

  
“It’s Mac,” he said as he snatches the cash before handing the weed to Dennis. It was already pre-rolled. A nice touch. Dennis smiles at him and Mac responds with a cough. “So, I’ll be going now,” he says and tries walking away.

  
Dennis places a hand on Mac’s shoulder. “No way. You’re staying here in case this is a bad batch.”

  
Mac shrugs. “Okay, dude. I’ll totally make sure nothing crazy happens to you.”

  
“I feel safe already.” Dennis and Mac smile at each other and after a moment of silence Carl clears his throat.

  
“Anyone got a lighter?”

  
With a long sigh, Dennis looks back over to Carl. Why does he always have to ruin a moment? “You didn’t even bring a lighter? Get out of here!”

  
Carl looks stricken. “What? But I bought the—”

  
“Out!” Dennis shouts.

  
“Yeah, dude,” Mac agrees, and Dennis feels happier than he ever has in his life. “Didn’t even bring a lighter. Get the fuck out of here.” This Mac guy isn’t so bad.

  
“Dicks,” Carl mutters as he walks away.

  
Mac looks over at Dennis. “What’s his problem?”

  
Dennis pulls a lighter out of his pocket and lights up one of the joints and inhales. It’s got a weird taste to it and smells both rotten and sweet at the same time, but it’s nice. Dennis coughs a bit as he passes it over. “I dunno, man. People are weird.”

  
Mac takes a puff, his own inhale going a lot smoother than Dennis’s. No coughing at all. Dennis can’t help but let his eyes flick down to Mac’s lips. There are times Dennis wishes he could just follow his whims as they take him, but he’s seen the world and it doesn’t look very kindly on a guy just kissing another guy because he thinks he’s cool and took his side on something the very first time they met.

  
Instead, they’re just sharing a joint under the bleachers on a spring afternoon and even though Dennis wasn’t making out with anyone right now, things feel just about perfect. A giggle escapes his lips and it just won’t stop. Mac cocks an eyebrow at him and laughs back at him. “What is it, dude?”

  
“You’ve got great hair.”

  
This stops Mac completely, and Dennis can hear him suck in a breath. Good. Dennis likes to catch people off base. Nobody will ever accuse Dennis Reynolds of being predictable.

  
“Dude,” Mac says softly. “Thanks. I didn’t style it or anything so it’s just kinda there, you know?” He’s grinning again and Dennis feels something inside himself again. It’s that feeling that girls might like Mac more, even though he’s raggedy and all he’s heard about him before is that he’s an asshole. Girls kind of like assholes if they’re pretty enough. And Mac is definitely pretty enough.

  
“Well it looks great like that,” Dennis says, still transfixed and staring. “Looks real soft.”

  
There’s a look on Mac’s face Dennis can’t identify. There’s red in his cheeks and it looks like he’s smiling just a bit, but his eyes don’t quite look up and the smile is gone almost as quickly as it appears. Dennis decides to push it a little further to see if he can get a bigger reaction. Dennis reaches out and brushes his fingers through Mac’s hair. “It is soft,” he says, keeping his fingers tangled in the hair near the nape of Mac’s neck.

  
Mac is tense and Dennis can see the rise and fall of his chest pick up. “Um, Dennis,” he chokes out.

  
“Hmm,” Dennis replies, and he doesn’t think he could form better words if he tried. Mac has eyelashes Dennis would kill for. He could get closer if he wanted to.

  
“I’m not gay, bro,” Mac whispers. It’s so quiet, Dennis barely registers it, but he can hear the fear in his voice. He’s not doing anything to move away from Dennis or to stop them from touching, so Dennis doesn’t take his hand away.

  
“Never said you were,” Dennis replies, because it’s the truth. “I’m not either.” Dennis feels very tired, but it’s the most peaceful he’s felt in a long time. It’s not like the exhaustion he usually feels at the end of the day. Dennis could blame anything he does from here on out on the weed. Mac would probably buy it, or at the very least not bring it up. Dennis could kiss Mac, if he decided to.  
They don’t kiss, but they stand for a while watching each other. Dennis doesn’t know how long they stay like that. It feels like hours and he doesn’t know if it’s the weed or the look in Mac’s eyes. What he does know is that he’s positive he’ll keep Mac around more, and only a small part of it because he’s got the weed. There’s something about Mac that Dennis can’t put his finger on.  
“Good stuff isn’t it?” Mac says, breaking the silence. Dennis is annoyed that the moment is ruined but he can’t deny that Mac is right.

  
“It’s very good,” Dennis agrees, even though he doesn’t have anything to compare it to. But he’s so very relaxed and he’s so very aware of Mac under his fingers. Mac’s hands are, unfortunately, jus hanging at his sides. Dennis doesn’t usually like to be touched without permission but he’s feeling good and considering he touched first it should be fine. Mac doesn’t move though, and Dennis lets his hands fall.

  
“I could go for a nap,” he says and emphasizes his point by sinking down to the grass and laying down.

  
“Hell yeah,” Mac agrees. Finally. Someone who gets him. Mac lays down in the grass next to him. It would probably be less comfortable on the ground any other time, but he’s in a pleasant haze.

  
This becomes somewhat of a habit, Dennis and Mac getting high and then going to sleep. Sometimes Charlie is with them, and Dennis starts to feel like he belongs somewhere. Having friends like these feels right and it helps keep the darker thoughts away. Dennis never in a million years would have thought these two gutter trash guys would be his best friends, but he feels a draw to them, and he feels complete. Like a real person. And in the end, that’s all that matters. Dee has her own loser friends and it’s the first time he hasn’t clung to her for that sense of reality.

  
Charlie is a simple person. He’s weird and not afraid to just be weird. It’s grounding and calming even if he spends most of his time trying to figure out what the fuck Charlie is even talking about. Mac is a little harder to pin down. He has all these expectations of other people that just don’t match up to reality. At least Dennis realizes that his parents don’t truly love him or his sister. Maybe if Mac had a sibling, he wouldn’t project so much. Still, he is usually quick to take up the offer to come over to the mansion any time Dennis asks. Then again, it’s a fucking mansion; who wouldn’t?

  
With a satisfied sound, Mac sinks onto the bed. “This mattress is comfortable as shit, Dennis.” He pulls the blankets right up to his head. “Rich people really know what they’re doing.”

  
This is the perfect moment and Dennis wishes he could live in it forever. He also realizes he’s been staring for too long when Mac looks up at him. “Stop zoning out, dude,” he complains. “You’ll feel better after you sleep.”

  
With a smile, Dennis slips under the covers, too. Everything feels heavy and he’s aware of every point of contact with his body the blankets hit. His breathing gets shallower. Everything feels a little too real. He’s too aware, too solid, and the only thing he doesn’t notice is the passage of time. Has it been twenty minutes already?

  
A hand touches his shoulder and he’s jolted from his thoughts. “Calm the fuck down, Den,” Mac complains. Dennis likes the nickname. He doesn't think he'd like anyone else saying his name like that. Dennis moves closer to Mac; he’s safe as long as Mac is holding onto him. Mac seems to know this and doesn’t draw his hand away as they drift off to sleep.

  
Mac doesn’t talk to him for a week after Frank finds them napping together and goes off on some rant about how he doesn’t “want some fag son in his house.” That was just how his dad is. Dennis doesn’t get what the big deal is. All they had done was sleep. It wasn’t like his dad had walked in on Dennis taking it up the ass or something.

  
Dennis tries talking to Mac about it, really pushing how ridiculous Frank had been. Instead, Mac just gets a dark look in his eyes and begins avoiding Dennis. It’s hard to hang out with Charlie anymore since Mac is usually around and it makes things pretty fucking awkward when one member of their gang isn’t talking to the other.

  
It’s fine, though. Dennis has other friends. He has plenty of other friends. There’s no shortage of people wanting to bask in the glory that is Dennis Reynolds. Everyone worships him. Mac did, too, until Frank ruined it by putting a weird label on it. Somehow that label meant a lot more to Mac than it did Dennis.

  
After being ignored for far too long, Dennis confronts Mac. He walks right up to him under the bleachers after he’s done dealing to a couple classmates. Mac catches sight of him and turns. Dennis scoffs at the way Mac walks, like he’s trying to walk away as fast as possible without outright running away from him. Dennis grabs his arm to keep him from getting any further away. To his credit, Mac doesn’t struggle much. The half-hearted wiggle gives Dennis hope that he isn’t losing his best friend.

  
“Why are you ignoring me?” he demands, and he can hear the lilt in his voice, sounding whinier than he intends.

  
“I’m not,” Mac says like the shit liar that he is.

  
Dennis lets out a frustrated sound. “Yes, you are!” He can hear the uptick in the volume of his voice, but he doesn’t care. He’s pissed and he’s going to yell at Mac until the little bitch admits he’s wrong, or he leaves Dennis for good. Fuck him if he chooses the latter, but Dennis can feel a bit of himself, a bit that he hates, that wants to admit he just might need Mac. “I hate that you’re ignoring me. What did I do to you? Nothing!” Dennis can feel the tension in his hands as he grips tighter and Mac tries more in earnest to get away.

  
“Dude,” he replies as if that fixes anything. With a heavy fondness in Mac’s voice, it does, sort of.

  
Dennis loosens his grip and his hand falls to his side. “Don’t do it again.”

  
Mac huffs and rolls his eyes and the entire weight of the world lifts off Dennis. “Sorry, dude. I think I was just,” Mac starts but trails off. It’s okay. Dennis knows what he means. Instead of finishing his sentence, Mac grins and gives a playful smack on Dennis’s arm. “I got some leftover bud I didn’t sell. Scammed those guys so good.” He gestures in the direction of the school. “I underfilled the joints so that I would have some left over and still have the same amount of money.”

  
“You’re a goddamn genius, Mac,” Dennis replies, slinging an arm around Mac’s shoulders. “Any for me?”

  
“Of course, dude,” Mac says like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “We have to roll it first.”

  
With a shrug, Dennis sits on the ground. “_You_ have to. I’m not doing hard work just to get high.” This makes Mac laugh and the world feels right again.

  
They’re smoking, and Dennis is fully relaxed for the first time in a week. Again, he doesn’t know if it’s just the weed or because of Mac – he never feels this good smoking alone – but this is how it should be. They’re close enough to kiss, Dennis muses, and he could probably get away with it, but he doesn’t make a move. Something in Mac is fragile and Dennis knows he is, too. For now, he doesn’t want this to break. It’s holding together just fine and it’s a perfect spring day.

**Author's Note:**

> Title is a line from 'Almost' by Bowling For Soup which was playing when I decided to post this.
> 
> on tumblr [here](https://movetothesuburbs.tumblr.com/)


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